


Why

by Ranowa



Category: Naruto
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, Oneshot, why do i write sad things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 06:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11457597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ranowa/pseuds/Ranowa
Summary: Minato really should stop asking Kakashi questions. He doesn't like having his heart broken.





	Why

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-post from ff.net. One of my /much/ earlier works (early 2013). Comments are love :)

"Kakashi, why won't you look at me? It's just a little jutsu. It doesn't matter. Come on, you hurt your wrist trying to do it, let me see… Kakashi? …Are you… scared of me?"

"…"

"Look, it's okay. I'm not disappointed in you. In fact, I'm proud that you came this far."

"…"

"Come on, please look at me. Why do you look like you're scared?"

...

"You only have two choices, Kakashi. Either you henge into that desk right now, or..."

"Stop it, Dad, stop it- oh, god, god- stop iiiitttt!"

Sakumo allowed his squirming son to knock his hands away from his stomach, Kakashi's cheeks red with laughter. The boy's hair was in disarray and when he reached forward to tickle him again, Kakashi hung his head, biting his lip, eyes hidden by the silver mess until he burst out laughing again. He rolled onto his back and kicked his legs into the air, struggling to get away.

"Stop it, Dad! Pl- pl- please!"

Sakumo shrugged easily, still tickling the three year old. "You clearly need some incentive to learn, Kakashi. This could happen in the field, you know! You could have to hide from an enemy, but you won't be able to until you learn the henge, and he'll capture you, and he'll just tickle you into submission!"

Kakashi finally managed to escape from Sakumo, breathing hard, his face stretched by a smile. He let his arm flop over his head as he rolled his eyes, reasoning, "But that won't happen. Using a henge won't be my only defense. Besides, no enemy would tickle me!"

"Oh?" Sakumo cocked his head to the side curiously. "Well, let's see you defend yourself against me. I'll come at you with everything I've got, so, be warned!"

"Dad, wait, no-"

"Here I come!"

Kakashi found himself fighting desperately to escape just he could stop laughing, so he could _breathe,_ but Sakumo wouldn't let him. "Come on, Kashi! Henge! I know you can do it! If you henge into the desk then I won't be able to find you!"

"I- I can't-"

"Do it! I know you can!"

"I can't c-c-concentrate! I can't concentrate, Dad!"

Sakumo kept up his assault for a moment longer before he moved back, allowing Kakashi to catch his breath. "Okay, I'll let you try again. But if you can't do it, then you'll have to suffer!"

Kakashi struggled not to stop laughing while rolling to his feet, thin chest heaving, face still split by a smile. He raised his shaky hands together in a seal, and, ever so slowly, the happy expression slipped to a frown of concentration. His dark eyes closed, and after a moment of silence, he cried, "Henge no justu!"

Sakumo's expression of joy matched Kakashi's, and he could feel his heart swell with pride as the tiny boy vanished with a poof, an ordinary looking desk in his place. For a moment, he just stood there, gazing down at his son, then he tackled him in a bear hug and Kakashi poofed back, whining as they hit the floor. "Daaaad! I had just gotten it!"

"I know, Kashi, and I'm very proud of youi. But that's not enough to save you from me! Now, can you henge to save yourself from… the tickle monster?!"

Sakumo attacked Kakashi again, and Kakashi bolted to his feet and sprinted through the house to escape. Sakumo ran after him, both Hatakes laughing and shouting until the father pounced and, together, the family crashed to the ground again.

…

That was the before.

Then there was the after.

"This. Is. Pathetic."

Sakumo spat the words out in disgust. His breath reeked of sake; Kakashi could smell it from four feet away. He wasn't quite sure what sake was; all he knew was that whenever his father's breath smelled like that, it meant he was angry and sour and violent, and Kakashi couldn't quite figure out why he kept going back to that bottle labeled as sake, but he _kept doing it._

Kakashi really wished he wouldn't, because when he didn't smell like sake, he was only sad. When he did smell like sake, he seemed to make it his duty to make everyone else sad, too.

"One of the most basic jutsu for a shinobi, and you can't even do it. More of a disgrace than me."

Kakashi flinched, but Sakumo's erratic wave of his hand had merely been a gesture, not a slap.

The former White Fang of Konoha paused, then shook his head again. His black eyes were unfocused but narrowed in an intense loathing, and Kakashi thought it was directed at him. "Che. I masted this jutsu in two days. What the hell have you been doing this past week. Tanaka tells me that boy Shikaku from your class has had it mastered for two months now."

This time, the gesture that wasn't a slap ended up being a harsh cuff on the shoulder.

Sakumo drew his attention to their surroundings with a broad sweep of his arm. "Do you know why I brought you here, Kakashi?"

Kakashi glanced to the edge of the cliff, then mutely shook his head.

His father chuckled coldly without the slightest hint of humor. "Sometimes you need a little incentive to learn a jutsu. So, off you go, Kakashi."

Kakashi blinked. What?

Sakumo glared when he made no move. The frigid ice of his dark expression was so familiar that it no longer made Kakashi's insides twist until they hurt. "You either learn the jutsu on the way down, or you don't learn it at all."

The way down…?

Sakumo firmly pushed him towards the edge and Kakashi scrambled back, his eye going wide. "Wait!" he gasped, fighting to pull himself free from his father's hand. "Wait! I can learn it! I can learn it, I swear! Please, give me another day, I'll-"

"Enemy shinobi won't give you another day. The village won't give you another day when you fail. What, you think they'll care that you just weren't good enough? Ha. You're their tool, nothing more. To be cast out like trash the day they decide you're not sharp enough." Sakumo forced him back towards the edge of the cliff and no matter how much Kakashi struggled, his grip was like iron, he couldn't escape, he couldn't run-

"Dad," he sobbed, "Dad, please-"

"Begging now? You think that will accomplish anything? You're not strong enough. They'll tear you apart. Konoha will, they will tear you apart when you fail them. Because you will, you'll fail them."

"I swear I'll-"

"Promise all you want, promises are nothing but meaningless words that go up into dust when it all comes down to it, your friends will turn their backs on you and you won't be strong enough, Kakashi, will you, you'll die and fail them all-"

" _Dad_ -"

Sakumo twisted Kakashi around so he faced the open air, and they were so high up he almost got sick. "Either learn it or fall. Learn it or die."

Kakashi didn't have time to plead again, because he was falling.

He was still screaming when the log hit the ground.

...

All Minato had wanted to know was why Kakashi was so devoted to learning Rasengan. Why he seemed so scared at the thought of failure, why he'd smelled him and recoiled like he expected to be hit, why the fear in his grey eyes had seemed to be of _him_ and not some unknown enemy when he'd confessed he was unable to do the jutsu just yet. Why the idea of failure seemed to mirror a terror of death.

He hadn't wanted to have his heart broken.

But Kakashi had always been good at answering questions in ways that broke his heart, so he really should've seen this coming.


End file.
